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Thursday, September 22, 2016

What's Been Going On Behind the Scenes?

It's been a little quiet over here but for good reasons. Yesterday, I was sitting here doing some work and I realized that I haven't talked much about my career here or what has been going on behind the scenes. This space has always been a place of all things relating to my life and journey, hence the title of this blog... I realized that my work is a big part of my life but I hadn't shared much of that. I think the reason I haven't, is because I didn't want it to come off that I was trying to sell myself. This blog has always been a very "Real" place. I keep it honest and talk about topics that are raw. Topics that I get emails and messages about, women who can relate and say thank-you for being real. But truthfully, my career and work is real as well. The reason there's been crickets over here is because work and a few other projects have been consuming my time.

My family and I have gone through some challenges- some ups and downs to get where we are now. Life evolves and with each new chapter, you grow and learn. Why not incorporate all aspects of my life? Why am I not sharing how motherhood and work CAN exist together? Or that it takes some sweat to get to something good?

Good question.

I've decided to share with you all that has been going on behind the scenes. I've done a little update of my blog and will be including topics that follow along with not only my life, but my work life too. You will notice a little added page at the top titled, "Real Estate". There you can find out how to contact me and more about what I do. The reason I haven't been as active recently, is because I've been focusing on building something more....let me elaborate.

Making the decision to stop my 40 hour 8-5 job and venture into a new territory was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I must admit that I have always loved the idea of being my own boss. Most of us have, right? Making my own hours and still being able to raise my own kids 80% of the time sounded ideal. But I could never figure out how to do this. Sometimes life gives us little nudges in the right direction and this is just what happened to me. After the birth of my son, and not wanting to pay the majority of my paycheck to daycare, I decided that I would take a leap of faith and try something new. I had already put 10+ years of mortgage and lending under my belt. So what could I do with that type of background that would make for an amazing transition? Real Estate landed in my lap and I went for it. Keller Williams seemed to be the right fit for me. They offered amazing training, support and everything that was important to me. Since then, working comes as a pleasure to me. I'm doing 3 of the things that I love best:

Helping others make their dreams a reality,

being my own boss

And tackling new adventures all the time!

I couldn't ask for more! So what do I do everyday? I build my business and raise my family. I wake up in the morning and have breakfast with my kids. I get Scarlett off to school and then take some time to play with Maxwell. When he naps, I get down to business and work making phone calls, returning emails and prospecting. I did hire a Nanny to help out with Maxwell but she has since left to school so I am in the process of hiring a new one. Most of my work is during evenings and weekends which works out great for my family. When Ty comes home, he takes over with the kids allowing me to head out to showings or appointments. I also do a lot of socializing. Parties, social and community events are all ways for me to market and work effectively. Who doesn't love a good party or two? What makes it better is that I'm working while enjoying something I love to do anyhow. That is probably one of the best parts of my job is that I get to choose how to run my business.

Of course, it still takes A LOT of work. In fact, I'd say that keeping on top of myself and keeping motivated is a lot more challenging than going into a job every day working under someone else's supervision. There are also a lot of unexpected surprises that pop up here in this business. But I enjoy a good challenge. And when I am helping clients, I feel the happiest and work the hardest. I offer a variety of different services. I intend to talk about a few of them here and there while still maintaining the other parts of my life like motherhood, life and style topics. In addition to buying and selling, I also specialize in some areas: First Time Home Buying, Relocation, and Luxury Sales. I am amazed at what people don't know about Real Estate and how available and affordable it really is. I hope to spread the word on that and to also address topics that I get asked by my clients often.

So while I've been hard at work with real estate and raising these kiddos of mine, Ty and I also have begun the process of opening our umbrella business, LaFountaine Enterprise. The website is in the works but it will offer all of our services in one spot. What kind of services? My husband owns his own electrical business. Electrical, Seasonal Rentals and Real Estate are just a few of the things that we will offer. (More on that soon). I'm really excited to start something that is our own. Something we take pride in and do with passion.

I have one bit of advice for those of you out there looking for a change or feeling the need for more...take a chance! My husband Ty is the dreamer while I'm the practical one. I need plans and formulas. I want to see that we aren't taking a risk. He tells me all the time, "If you never take risk, you won't ever get reward.".............These words are oh so true. We make a great team. He thinks of great, vibrant ideas and I back them up with facts and organize the implementation of them. Whatever it is that you want to do....just go after it. Nothing in life is easy so you might as well go after something that you really want. There are still MANY ways in which this country is flawed and it could always use improvements, but what a great place to live in that we can have the opportunity to go after our dreams. Never in a hundred years would I have thought that I could raise my children all while contributing to my family's income. Now, I'm excited to expand that even further, with my husband, doing something he is passionate about as well. Now you know what's been going on behind the scenes over here and I hope you follow along on our journey. I have a feeling it's gonna be a good one!